Donald Trump isn't a con man.

He's a huckster.

There's a difference.

I'm making the con man/huckster distinction.

He's not like Bernie Madoff. He's more like Hugh Hefner or Ron Popeil. Meade and I were talking about this idea and he challenged me to name someone else who fit my idea of Trump as the huckster. It took me a while, but I came up with Hugh Hefner. Then he revealed the name he had in mind: Ron Popeil.

Notice how both of those men put their brand on products and promoted them and — through their personality — made people feel an extra boost of positivity about products that were varied and real.